Us Against the World

Nothing has been harder than this year– than this moment in marriage. When Chris and I were teenagers, it was us against the world, after all we were teen parents. So when rent came due and we couldn’t pay–it was no big deal–we still had each other. We would lay together, arm in arm and dream about the future.

We made it to the future–two more kids, a little yellow house with red brick trim around the front door. An eight foot wooden picnic table in the front yard. Two little lap dogs whom welcome us home and give us headaches.

I stayed home and raised our babies–to kids–tall, blond and lean. Together we faced miscarriages, autism, and nearly losing our first home.

We’ve Grown Up

Nearly 15 years later, we’ve grown up. We’ve changed. Somewhere along the way, God surgically cut our hearts from one to two. And the tie that binds us back together is our faith in God. It’s not wrong, it’s just different. Suddenly, it’s like trying to find our way in the dark, blindfolded. But I know we have a great future and so many things, memories, experiences left to discover together.

So my prayers for my husband are different. My prayers aren’t “Lord, bless my sweet husband today…” It’s more like, “Lord, I don’t know where to go from here. I don’t know how to encourage him or support him. I can’t see the future–please God…You haven’t failed us before. Help me to pray the right words to encourage, equip and cheer him on–whatever the future may be.”

Prayers lately come to me in songs and this year, the song for my husband, for our marriage, for. our. future: Sidewalk Prophets, Help Me Find It. Sometimes in the quiet moments when there are no words, the melody of a song becomes my prayer and it made me realize how often I need to pray for Chris. Below is the prayer calendar I crafted around his needs and our struggles. It is my prayer that it will bless your marriage or your future marriage.

My Call–My Heart’s Desire

My prayer calendar for Chris is based on Matthew 7:13-14

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”